Hydra
by cekimbrell
Summary: My first fanfic...Takes place preX2 through postX3...Eventually PyroOC.
1. Chapter 1

My first fanfic. Please R&R but be nice. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Eventually PyroOC.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my character Hydra.

**Hydra-Chapter 1**

Juniper Roth opened up the mini-fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat down in the break room of the Rusty Collins' Memorial Hospital. She had started interning at the hospital at the beginning of her junior year as part of her health class. She was now two months into her senior year, but had helped out so much that she had been asked to continue her job after school. By now, she knew all of the staff members and most of the patients, so the hospital felt like a second home. She uncapped the bottle of water, and had just finished drinking half of it in one gulp, when someone opened the break room door. It was Mandy.

"Hey Juni!" her best friend greeted as she took a seat in front of the other girl. "Are you drinking _another_ bottle of water? Isn't this like your fifth one today?"

"Yeah," Juni replied. She hadn't really thought about how many bottles she had finished off until now. "I've been really parched today."

"Parched? Come on! We're at work, not in AP English. You don't have to show off your brains here!" Mandy flashed Juni one of her world famous grins to show that she was joking. "Anyways, it's nine o'clock, which means our shift is over, and I kinda need a ride home."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Just let me grab my stuff," Juni said as she stood up and walked to the door. Five minutes later, Juni and Mandy had exited the hospital and were walking towards Juni's black mustang, when Dr. Jackson stopped them.

"Are you two heading home?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why? Is there something we should know?" Juni asked back

"Well, if you can avoid going through downtown, you'll save a lot of time." Dr. Johnson said. He saw the curiosity and excitement on the two girls' faces, so he went on. "A couple of mutant riots broke out. Nothing big, but it's still got downtown backed up pretty badly."

"Okie dokie! Thanks a lot Doc!" Dr. Jackson gave Mandy an offended look, but walked off quietly.

"What was that!" Juni asked Mandy.

"What!" Mandy asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Okie dokie? Doc? Have you forgotten that he's the one who's letting us keep these jobs?" Juni saw Mandy's blank stare and decided that it was a lost cause. "Anyway, I wonder what caused the riots downtown."

"Who cares what cause them!" Mandy had snapped out of her daze and was starting to get fired up. "The more mutant riots there are, the closer the government comes to passing that registration act, and that's fine by me! Stupid muties! Who needs them?"

Juni was shocked to say the least. She never knew Mandy had such strong views. The two girls got in the car and rode in silence. They had to take the long way to Mandy's house, and by the time Juni got home, it was after ten. When she pulled into the driveway, she expected to see her brother's car parked beside their mother's car, but it wasn't there. This worried her a little bit because he was usually home before her, but she put it out of her mind until she got inside and out of the dark. She had been afraid of the dark since she could remember, and she still couldn't stand being in it for very long. Juni quietly unlocked the front door and scurried up the stairs, careful to skip the few that squeaked so she wouldn't disturb her sleeping parent. After she put on her pajamas, Juni opened her bedroom door and was almost out the door when her cell phone rang. She turned and ran over to her bag. She already knew who the ringtone was assigned to, but she looked anyway. Juni didn't feel like talking to Mandy at the moment, so she ignored the call. She was fixing to turn around, when she felt a warm hand slip over her mouth. At first, Juni froze and didn't know what to do. She wanted to scream but nothing would come out. Then Juni remembered those self-defense classes that her mom had insisted she take, and she did the first thing that came to mind. She elbowed her captor in the stomach. She heard a colorful array of words and immediately knew who it was.

"Nic, you ass!" Juni furiously whispered at her brother. Juni and Nic were twins, and looked very similar, but instead of having blonde hair and blue eyes like Juni, he had brown hair and brown eyes. That was one reason why everyone called him the "bad twin". Juni knelt down beside her brother who had by now fallen to the ground and was rolling around in pain. "Oh God! I'm soooo sorry Nic! Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Am I okay!" Nic gasped in reply. "You practically impaled my stomach with you elbow!"

"Well, it's your fault. _You_ snuck up on _me_, remember?" Juni helped her brother off the floor. "What are you doing home so late anyway?"

"Oh, yeah, I had a date with Shelley," he replied with an innocent look on his face.

"Wait, wait, wait….you had a date with Shelley? As in sophomore Shelley? As in Mandy's sister Shelley?" Juni paused. "Don't you think she's a _little_ young for you?"

"Only three years younger." Nic looked at Juni. "What are you accusing me of? No, you know what? Don't answer that. I don't need a lecture from you." Nic turned to leave.

"I'm not going to give you a lecture," Juni blurted out quickly. "But I'm sure mom will when _she_ finds out." Juni said this last part slowly. She wanted to make sure Nic got her point.

Nic turned around to face Juni. "Well, mom's not going to find out."

Juni smirked. "Oh, really?"

Nic walked towards Juni until he was right in her face. "Yeah, because if she does find out, I'll tell her about that party you went to last month." Juni's smile disappeared. "You know….the one you snuck out your bedroom window for, and didn't come home until three in the morning….."

The other reason why Nic was known as the "bad twin" was because Juni never got caught. Nic left Juni's room with a smug look on his face. Juni plopped down on her bed which resulted in a loud hissing noise. Juni's cat Sal crawled out from under the bed looking very frazzled. He jumped up on the bed and laid down beside Juni, nuzzling his head in her side. The extra warmth from his body mixed with her long and hectic day exhausted Juni and before long, she had fallen into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've been busy with school, but I will try to update earlier next time. Enjoy!

**Hydra Chapter 2**

Juni was laying on a beach. The sun was out, there were gulls flying in the sky, there were palm trees all around, but those things didn't have her attention. Juni was focused on the ocean, but she wasn't just looking at it. She could feel what the ocean was feeling. Every wave, every whirlpool, every distant storm Juni could sense. Juni had never been at peace like this before. She got up and walked to the edge of the ocean. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into the cool water. Everything went silent. Juni cracked open her eyes only to find that she was surrounded in darkness. She couldn't tell if she was floating or falling and she started having trouble breathing. Then she heard something in the distance. Someone was calling her name. The voice got closer and Juni realized it was a woman. Juni let the kindness and warmth in the woman's voice wash over her. She had finally calmed down when she felt a slight pressure in her mind. Juni got worked up again and before she knew it, she was awake and staring at her bedroom ceiling. She sat up and heard a weird scratching noise. It scared her until she realized it was only Sal at the door trying to get out. Juni got out of bed and walked over to her bedroom door. Her hand was five inches from the door handle when Sal looked at her and hissed. Sal only hissed at people he didn't know.

"Sal, it's me! You know….the girl who feeds you and loves you?!" Juni reached out to pet Sal only to be rewarded with three bleeding scratches on her hand. "Ow! What's wrong with you?! Fine, you want out, I'll let you out." Juni grabbed the doorknob, but when she went to turn it, her hand slid off. She tried it again, but had the same results. She looked at the doorknob and noticed that it had water on it. Juni looked up at the ceiling, but it wasn't leaking. She looked at the floor, but it wasn't wet either. Then a thought struck Juni. She slowly raised her hands and looked at them. Her _hands_ were leaking water.

"What is going on?!" Juni finally got the door open and Sal raced down the stairs. Juni followed him quietly and when she got to the bottom stair, she froze. Nic was asleep on the couch with the remote in his hand and the TV blasting. She walked over to the TV and was fixing to turn it off when she saw what Nic had been watching. The news had been covering all the mutant riots that had broken out all over the world. It showed a few clips of burning buildings and mutants destroying things. Then it flashed up a picture of a man dressed in red and purple and referred to him as "The Master of Magnetism". Juni had had enough so she cut the TV off. She turned around to go upstairs when she heard a quiet flapping noise. Juni turned and looked at the front door just in time to see a ginger tail slip through the cat flap.

"Crap!" Juni furiously whispered. Then she looked at her slightly snoring brother. "Nic, you're such an idiot!" The last person to go to bed was supposed to lock the cat flap. Nic had obviously forgotten about that rule along with his curfew.

Juni ran upstairs to her room and slipped her robe over the tank top and shorts she used as pajamas. She ran back down the stairs, not caring if she was quiet or not, and ran out the front door.

"Sal! Sal! Here kitty!" Juni didn't see any sign of her cat. "Come out, come out….wherever you are…." Juni's eyes drifted over the backyard and stopped when they reached the pool area. There sitting on the edge of the pool, looking at Juni like she was crazy, was Sal. Juni walked to the fence surrounding the pool and opened it. Step by step she slowly got closer to Sal. He looked at her unblinking and didn't move until Juni's left foot got six inches away from his body. Then he darted away and started making his way around the pool and towards the open gate. Juni called out his name and turned around to chase after him when her foot got tangled up in the pool vacuum. She lost her balance and fell in the pool along with the vacuum cleaner. She immediately sank to the bottom. Juni struggled with the tube around her feet, but she couldn't get it off. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, and before long, darkness began to settle in around her.

Juni thought about her mother's reaction when she saw her body in the pool. She wondered if Nic would miss her. She even thought about Mandy and if she would attend the funeral. Juni took a deep breathe.

"Wait," Juni thought. "You can't breathe underwater!" She looked down at her body only to realize that she couldn't see it. She saw that the tube had fallen off her feet, so Juni kicked to the surface of the water. Her head emerged first…then her torso….then her legs. Juni was floating above the water. She looked down at her body again, but this time she realized that she wasn't invisible, she was made out of water.

"No, no, no," Juni said to herself. "Regular people don't float or change their bodies into water. The only people who do things like his are…..mutants."

Juni clenched her eyes shut. She just wanted this to stop. She just wanted to be normal. Juni could feel her body solidifying again, and before she knew it, she was falling. Her cheek hit the concrete first, followed by the rest of her body. As Juni layed there, dazed and confused, she formulated a plan. She would go inside, sneak up to her room, go to sleep, wake up the next morning, and never think of this night again. Ten years from now, she wouldn't even remember what happened. Juni slowly got up and winced as pain shot though her cheek. She walked out of the gated area, made sure she locked it up, and made her way to the front door. She opened the door and was fixing to walk in, but something stopped her. Someone was standing in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, I really got behind. It seems like I've had a test at school everyday this week….Anyway, here's part three!!!!

**Hydra-Chapter 3**

"Nic!" Juni stuttered out. "I-I thought you were asleep…."

"I was." Nic's earth-brown eyes were boring a whole in Juni. She knew he knew. She knew that he had seen everything, but she played dumb anyway.

"So, uh…..how long have you been awake?"

"Long enough," Nic replied. Juni opened her mouth to stall a little longer, but Nic cut her off. "Long enough to know what you are."

"Nic, let's go inside and talk about this." Juni's voice was shaking. It was taking all her strength to keep her standing. She took a step towards the door, but Nic pushed her back.

"No! You're not coming in this house, you….you freak!" Juni had never seen her brother filled with such hate before. Nic reached over beside the door and grabbed something. Then he handed it to Juni. "There's your car keys. Just get in you car and leave. I'll tell mom that you ran off with a doctor…..or something."

Nic took one last look at Juni before slamming the door in her face. She looked at the door for a minute. Her mind was cluttered and she couldn't think straight. She looked down at the cold car keys in her hand. Sal meowed by her leg, but she ignored him as she walked towards her car. She opened the door, sat down in the driver's seat, and started it. Juni knew she shouldn't be driving under these conditions, but before she knew it, she had backed out of the driveway and was off. Of course, she didn't know where she was off to, but she didn't care. She kept going and kept thinking about what had just happened. How could Nic shun her like that? Sure they had had their differences, but she was still his sister. Juni slowed down the car until it stopped. She looked around and realized she had no idea where she was. She rolled a little further and took a left at the next stop sign. This led her to the center of downtown which was still heavily congested with traffic.

"Oh, this is just great!" Juni looked around for a way to get out and her eyes focused on an empty alleyway. If she could get her car up on the sidewalk and squeeze past the fire hydrant, she could make it. Juni did one last check to make sure there weren't any cops around and started moving her car to the right. As soon as her back wheels reached the sidewalk, she heard the high-pitched wailing of a siren. The cop pulled up on his motorcycle, got off of it, and stood ten feet away from the driver's side of Juni's car. He took his pistol out of its holster and pointed it at her.

"Maim, I'm gonna need you to step out of the car slowly, and put your hands on top of the car." Juni just looked at him.

"I'm not getting out, and I'm not putting my hands on top of the car," Juni said simply. The cop looked at her in disbelief. He was young, and probably hadn't dealt with a situation like this before.

"I'm not going to ask you again, maim. I will not hesitate to use force."

"Yeah, whatever. What's your probable cause?" Juni saw something flicker in his eyes. Was that….fear?

"We have reason to believe that you are….a dangerous mutant." The cop wouldn't make eye contact with Juni.

"What?!" Juni yelled. The cop jumped a little. "Who told you I was a dangerous mut-" Nic. Juni was beyond pissed now. She got out of the car and took a few steps towards the cop.

"Don't come any closer. I-I'll shoot if you do!" The cop was scared now. Juni felt something running through her veins. She felt powerful and she liked it. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"Come on!" Juni thought. "You worked when I didn't want you to, you can at least work now." Juni heard gasps from the surrounding cars. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her water-molecule body. Her eyes then focused on the cop. By now, this little scene had gathered a crowd of passer-bys, and there were even a few new crews in the "audience".

"Maim, I'm begging you. Don't do anything you might regret!" By now, the gun in the cop's hand was shaking madly, along with the rest of his body.

"Regret?! I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can regret now." Juni took one last step towards the cop and watched as his index finger pressed on the trigger. The crowd ducked and screamed as the gun went off. Juni watched as the bullet passed through her body and shattered the driver's side window of her car. This made her blood boil.

"You just shot my car!"

"I-I'm sorry!" the cop stuttered out. "I was trying to hit you-" He knew he had just screwed up. Juni took one last look at her car and her eyes focused on the fire hydrant beside it. Could she control water, too? She stuck her hand out towards the red piece of metal and closed her eyes. She could feel the water just waiting to burst from its prison. She opened her eyes and focused all her attention on extracting that water. The top of the hydrant convulsed a little. Juni, amazed by what she was doing, let her hold on the water slip for a minute, but she quickly regained focus. This time, when the top of the hydrant moved, it shot off towards the crowd, which caused screaming and scattering, but Juni wasn't paying attention. Instead of the water spewing everywhere, it was frozen in mid-air, just like Juni had told it to. She turned towards the cop with her hand still outstretched towards the frozen water.

"Wh-What are you d-doing?" The cop was completely terrified by this point.

"Oh, I'm just living up to my reputation." That said, Juni whipped her hand towards the officer, which caused the water to hit him with the force of a tsunami wave. He was propelled back and slammed into his motorcycle. Juni heard the wail of more sirens. She looked around for an escape route. The alley looked like the only place for her to go. Before she ran into the darkness, she took one last look at her car.

"Great birthday present, mom," Juni said to herself. As she ran into the alleyway, she could hear the footprints and voices of the S.W.A.T. team that was following her. She was tired and couldn't run anymore. Juni ran behind a dumpster and collapsed. She had overused her powers and was paying the price. Everything was blurry and far away. She let her body relax as darkness overcame her.


	4. Chapter 4

Hmm…wow…it's been a long-ass time since I updated. I plan on getting back on track though. I have biology this semester so it gives me time to write. So...umm…yeah…

**Hydra-Chapter 4**

Juni cracked her eyes open slowly. The sun was unusually bright for some reason. Juni finally got her eyes completely open and expected to find that she was still behind the filthy dumpster, but when her eyes focused, she realized that she was lying in a very sterile looking room. She sat up quickly and immediately regretted it when she was rewarded with a sharp pain in her head.

"Ow! What a headache!" Juni then began to look around the room. There were medical supplies, lab coats, and beds that looked like they belonged in a hospital all around. There was even an X-ray machine at the back of the room. Juni pulled the I.V. out of her arm and jumped off the bed she was laying on. She was freezing and when she looked down, she realized why. Her pajamas were nowhere to be found. She was standing in the middle of a strange room, in the middle of a strange building in her underwear. Juni looked around for some clothes but gave up her search quickly. Juni settled by grabbing a lab coat and walking out the door.

The hallway outside was weirder than the room. It was brightly lit and made out of cold steel which made Juni shiver. All the doors were round and had a giant X on them. She heard the distant click of footsteps. They were getting closer and closer. Juni looked around for a hiding spot but couldn't find one. All the doors were locked except for one. She quickly opened it and ran inside. She was hit with a wave of heat.

"Why is it so hot in here?" Juni slowly turned around and found herself in the middle of a destroyed city. Everywhere there were smashed buildings and blown-up cars. Fires were burning brightly all around. There was a slight rumbling noise in the distance. Juni walked over to a demolished building and picked up a slightly charred teddy bear. She had almost finished dusting it off when the ground suddenly shook violently. Juni froze, not knowing what had just happened. As she slowly began regaining feeling in her legs, she stared looking around. She couldn't see any other signs of life, but she could sense other people by the water content in their bodies. There were at least six other people close by, but they must have been hiding…from something. Just then the ground shook again and this time it was accompanied by a loud stomp.

"What the hell is that?!" Juni asked herself, but she didn't have time to answer because the ground shook again…and again…and again. Juni's insides turned to ice as she finally realized what was causing the tremors. They were giant footsteps being caused by giant feet. The tremors got closer and closer and louder and louder and then they abruptly stopped. Juni let out a sigh of relief. Somewhere a spotlight turned on and focused on Juni.

"That must be a helicopter with people to save me," Juni thought to herself. She turned around and found herself staring at a giant metal pillar. She let her eyes travel up the piece of metal. She quickly realized that what she had run into wasn't just a pillar. She was staring into the eyes of a Sentinel. Juni couldn't believe it. She had heard rumors of this mutant-killing program, but she didn't think they were true. She knew she had to get away from this giant robot. She turned to run but the Sentinel already had a lock on her.

"Mutant DNA identified," was all the Sentinel said before it shot two rockets in Juni's direction. Juni looked around desperately for some cover but everything was destroyed. She felt an impact on her left side. She fell on her back and something fell on top of her. She opened her eyes in time to see the two missiles fly over her and impact a crumbling building in the distance. Suddenly the object on top of her began to move. She realized it was human.

The boy pushed himself off of Juni and stood up. He looked out at the destroyed building in the distance. His eyes traveled around until the rested on Juni. She couldn't tell much about his face in the dark but she could tell he was smiling. She didn't know why until she looked down and realized that the lab coat she was wearing had fallen open and wasn't doing much covering. She quickly covered herself and then took the hand the boy was offering to her. He pulled her to her feet and looked at her. She looked back at him. He shook his head and chuckled before grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him as he ran through the broken city.

"Who are you?" Juni called out over the wind whistling around her. She thought the boy hadn't heard her. She opened her mouth to ask again but he cut her off.

"No time!" he said quickly.

"What does that mean?" Juni asked back, but as she looked around, her question was answered. The smoke was thick, but she could still make out all the spotlight eyes in the distance. Hundreds of Sentinels were heading their way.


	5. Chapter 5

Yeah…haha…so I'm not going to promise to update more often…because I never do… I will try to write more…but remember! No promises. :P

**Hydra-Chapter 5**

Juni couldn't breathe. There wasn't a lot of water in the air because of all the fires and it was taking a toll on her. Everywhere Juni and the boy turned, they were dodging another missile.

"What are we gonna do?" Juni asked as there was a giant explosion behind her.

"I…I don't know," the boy replied. Even as the boy dodged annihilation, he never once let go of Juni's hand. She realized she was blushing. The sound of a woman's voice snapped her out of it.

"John!" the woman yelled. All the fear and worry in John's face immediately turned to annoyance. He turned to face the woman.

"What, Storm?" John had a total lack of respect in his voice. A man stepped up beside the white haired lady. He had something over his eyes that looked slightly like a pair of sunglasses. The man addressed John.

"You strayed away from the team. The exercise is all about teamwork." John stared at the man with detest. Four other younger people appeared and joined the group.

"What did John do now?" one of the boys asked. John fired back.

"Hey! I didn't do anything, Popsicle, so why don't you take your accusations and shove them up your-"

"That is enough, John!" the white haired woman said. John tried to argue, but he was cut off yet again. "Class dismissed."

"Class?" Juni thought. "What does that mean?" Her question was answered for her.

Everything started melting away in front of her. All the torched buildings, the ruined cars, even the Sentinels…all gone. The man with the glasses stared at Juni.

"Who are you?" he asked untrustingly.

Juni looked around. Everyone was staring at her. "I'm-"

"Juniper!" a woman called out.

"That's funny…" Juni thought. "That sounds like the voice from that weird dream I had…" She looked around. Everyone except for John was staring at the doorway. John was still looking at Juni. Now that it wasn't as dark, she could tell more about him. He was actually pretty cute. She felt her face get hot and diverted her attention to the red haired woman in the doorway.

"There you are! I was so worried!" the woman said to Juni.

"Umm…who are you…?" Juni asked. She was so confused. She didn't even know this woman, how could the woman be worried about her? John snorted a little at the question Juni had asked. This resulted in a glare (or what Juni thought was a glare) from the sun-glassed man.

"Come with me, Juniper. I'll explain everything."

Juni could feel all the eyes on her back as she followed the woman out.

* * *

"So, Ms. Grey, this is a school for m-people like me?" Juni asked. She had been asking questions for a good two hours and finally she thought she understood.

"Please, outside of class, feel free to call me Jean, and yes, that about sums it up." Jean smiled at her. Juni looked at her. Jean seemed like an honest person, but she still wondered if she was reading her mind. "So…if you have no more questions, I'll get someone to show you to your room." Juni nodded. They exited the medi-lab and entered another room that looked like a locker room. Everyone from the "Danger Room" was in it, minus the leather jumpsuits they had on earlier. Just like before, all eyes were on her.

"Everyone, this is Juniper…I mean Juni. She's a new student here." Jean announced to the room. "I expect you all to give her a very warm welcome."

Juni looked at John. He was grinning from ear to ear. Juni had a feeling she was really gonna like this place.


	6. Chapter 6

Please R&R…and suggestions for what should happen next would be amazing (In other words, I'm kinda running out of ideas)! =]

**Hydra-Chapter 6**

"Well, this is our room," Rogue said. Juni looked in and saw that some of her belongings were sitting on one of the twin beds in the room. Rogue saw the confused look on Juni's face and giggled. "Jean went to your house an' picked up some of your stuff, but don' worry, nobody even knew she was there." Rogue winked at her. Juni smiled back.

"So…," Juni said. "You and Bobby are together, and Kitty and Peter are off and on?" By now Juni had been introduced to everyone who was in the Danger Room. Storm and Cyclops (Ororo and Scott) were both teachers and Jean and Scott were together. Bobby (Iceman) was dating Marie (Rogue), Kitty and Peter (Colossus) were together (for now), and John was just…Pyro. Juni thought they all had cool powers. Even Rogue who couldn't touch another human being. "What about John?"

Rogue laughed out loud. "Is John with anybody? No, that little Pyro is single." Rogue shot Juni a sly look. "Why do you ask? Are you interested?"

"No! No!" Juni said quickly. "I was just-"

"I would stay away from him if I were you," a voice said from outside the room. A tall, blondish boy with bright blue eyes walked in and sat beside Rogue. He stuck out his hand to Juni.

"Hi. I'm Bobby. Or Iceman." When he said this last bit, Juni's hand got extremely cold. She looked down and realized he'd iced her hand over a little.

"Nice catchphrase," she said as she broke her hand from his. "You should get that copyrighted."

"I'm working on it," he said with a smile. They sat there in silence for a few seconds and then Juni realized that Bobby and Rogue probably wanted to be alone.

"I think I'll go exploring for a while," Juni said.

"Are ya sure y'all'll be alrigh' on ya own?" Rogue asked, but Juni was already at the door. She turned around, muttered a quick reassurance, and she was off.

Saying the mansion was bid was an understatement. It was huge. Everywhere Juni turned, there was another hallway, another door, another elevator. After wandering around for an hour, she finally came to a dead end. She backtracked until she found a door. She had just put her hand on the knob when she heard a voice behind her.

"Lost, are we?" Juni turned around to see John leaning casually against the wall, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips.

"No," Juni lied. John's smirk got bigger. "What makes you think that?"

"Well seeing as how you're on the boys' side of the dormitories, and you're getting ready to open the door to a boys' bathroom, I'd say you're lost." Juni glared at John.

"I wasn't lost, I was exploring," Juni said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you're one of those people." Juni gave him a quizzical look. He stepped closer to her and continued. "You never admit when you're wrong, and you get defensive when someone questions you."

"Well look who's talking," Juni retorted.

"Yeah, well, it takes one to know one," John winked at her. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. He stepped closer and stuck out his hand. "I'm John, by the way. St. John Allerdyce to be exact."

"I'm Junip-uhh…just Juni."

"Why'd you do that?" John asked with a serious look on his face.

"Do what?"

"Why'd you shy away from telling me your full name?" Juni looked away from him. The last time she'd revealed her whole name, she'd been made fun of. He moved closer to her so that she couldn't avoid looking at him. "Come on. Tell me. I won't laugh." Juni gave him a disbelieving look. "I promise," he reassured her. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. She sighed.

"Juniper Treat Roth."

"Treat?" John looked ready to laugh, but he composed himself quickly. "I like it. It's unique."

"Well that's one way to describe it," Juni said relieved. She couldn't tell if John was lying or not, but she wanted to believe him. Suddenly, Juni realized how close they were standing and that she was backed up completely against the door.

"So, why'd your parents name you Treat? Is it because you're so sweet?" But Juni didn't have time to answer.

Just then, the door behind her opened and she felt herself falling backwards. She was bracing herself for the fall when she felt two arms snake around her waist and hold her steady. She recognized Peter walking out of the bathroom and continue down the hall. He didn't realize that he'd almost annihilated her.

"That was close," Juni said while watching the bulk of muscle that was Peter walk away. Juni had always been long limbed and a bit clumsy, but she'd never had so much bad luck in one day.

"I'll have to keep an eye on you," John said in a suggestive tone. Juni looked at John to reply back, but the way John was looking at her took all words from her mind. She became uncomfortably aware that John's arms were still locked tight around her waist.

"Umm…I think I have my balance now. Could you let go?" Juni's words snapped John out of whatever thoughts he was having.

"If that's what you want," he said as he slowly released her. Part of Juni was glad he let go, and the other part was calling her stupid.

"I'm going to try to find my way back, I guess"

"Alright, I'll see you around."

Juni turned and was trying to figure out which way to go when John called her back.

"Hey, Treat!" he called. Great…she had a nickname now. She reluctantly turned around. John was leaning casually against the wall again. "I meant to tell you this earlier… in the Danger Room…" He was smirking suspiciously.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently. She was scowling at him. She's specifically told him she hated her middle name. Obviously he didn't care. He laughed a little before continuing.

"Nice body," he said. Juni felt herself blush and wished Peter had succeeded in finishing her off a few minutes ago. She abruptly pivoted around. She scowled even more and stalked off. John couldn't stop laughing.


End file.
